Thursday, October 23, 2014

Many automotive locksmith technicians who had the chance to work with a lot of GM door locks, probably found loose, broken or distorted wafer spring retainer. Many of them probably had to do call backs regarding those vehicles on cylinders that were serviced where the retainer dislodged from the plug even after staking. I have found a solution to the problem that will prevent technicians form the hassle of going back to the same job for support.

I use a second retainer leg, that was modified by me and installed alongside the loose end of the first retainer. To make this second retainer leg work, I used a grinder to grind the leg of the retainer to a knife edge. Next, I inserted the modified retainer leg alongside the loose retainer and slowly tap it down all the way. That will effectively wedges the loose retainer in place. If required, I sometimes use one of my modified retainer legs on both ends of the first wafer retainer. Then I will break off the rest of the retainer flush with the plug.

Sometimes it would be necessary to file or grind the leg down in order to get it even with the top of the plug. Once the broken edges were smoothed out of the retainer and its easy to tell they are even with the edge of the plug, the key and the plug would need to be inserted into the cylinder making sure the plug rotates without binding, or hanging up. If it does, reassemble the lock and re-install it in the vehicle.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Some things any locksmith should know about transponder keys. When you are looking to get blanks for automotive key making, know that the prices range between $5 to $60 in the aftermarket. Because of the growing market, what makes it even worse is that a $5 blank key can and may seem like a $60 key, but surely enough they will not be compatible. So, a scenario where you will waste $60 on cutting the wrong blank can happen. The result would be wasting an expensive blank because of the idea it might work, but it didn't.

What complicates the issue is the fact that several blank and vehicle changes could happen before the information on which key to use on which car filters down to us. So when comes the time to make a key and you're not sure about which key to use and want to avoid wasting an expensive transponder blank, try the following:

1.Stick your mechanical key in the ignition.
2.Get your programming tool ready.
3.let the transponder blank you're not sure about, and place it next to the bow of the mechanical key. Remember to keep it there.
4.Attempt to program vehicle.

If the vehicle programs will duplicate the cuts to the transponder key, the job is done. If it doesn't work, you'll know you are using the wrong blank. However, it will prevent you from wasting and cutting the wrong blank. Now You can go to the next possible match transponder blank on your list. This method will also help you to determine which blanks are compatible with the different cars.
This method is a good practice to use when you can't determine which blank to use and you can't find the information anywhere on the instruction manual.

Friday, October 3, 2014

One of the most popular technique used by locksmith to open a lock is picking. If a Control Key is not available, the best way to remove a core would be to pick the lock open. Remember that in a 1- core lock there are 2 shear-lines. The lock must be picked at the Control Shear-line to efficiently remove the core. This presents the problem of how to exert pressure on the Control Lug while picking the lock. Since the turning pressure must be applied to the Sleeve only, a special turning tool must be used. This tool will catch the Sleeve through the 7 or 6 small holes at the bottom of the Sleeve and prevents the Operating Shear-line from being activated and the Plug turned.

It is important to remember that picking a core at its Control Shear-line means that the Top Pins will remain at the top of the shear-line, in the upper Shell and the Control Pins will be inside the Sleeve, flush with the top. Understanding the architecture of the core will show to the locksmith technician that the pin stack needs to be raised only a very slight distance to place the pins flush at the Control Shear-line. This can be displayed by a Coded 9-cut in a Control Key. That specific pin stack will already be at the Control Shear-line. Each cut of a lesser degree followed, will only change .0125 of an inch from the Control Shear-line if in an A2 System. It is recommended to use very small picks that will accommodate 1-core locks. When removing a core from a mortise lock, pay attention that some mortises may contain a small set screw that most likely be holding the core in place.